The U.S. Marine Corps has received its first F-35 Joint Strike
Fighter that, in theory, is meant for actual combat. But that doesn’t
mean the pricey, long-delayed JSF is going to be dropping bombs on enemy
targets anytime soon. The Lockheed Martin-built plane’s computerized
logistical system, flight software and special helmet still aren’t ready
— and it lacks weapons.

No, the Marines have taken possession of the combat-designated, but
not combat-ready, F-35 in order to begin building up its stealth-fighter
fleet. Not yet, anyway. The advance preparation should ensure that the
Corps can send the new JSF squadrons into combat the moment the jet is
finally fully equipped … whenever that might be.

“The Marines are determined to get this plane into the field as soon as it can be safely accomplished,” Loren
Thompson, a Lockheed consultant, told Reuters. “They don’t want to be
slowed down by bureaucratic obstacles.” Instead, it’s the technical
obstacles that are dictating the timing of the F-35′s combat readiness.
No one is sure precisely when the jet will get the critical missing
items, but it could be years.